They turned right and kept walking, and Jake noted there were six homes on both sides of the street. The ones on the right had taken significantly more damage, their roofs lifted off and hanging askew, or front porch roofs broken and collapsed. But the homes on the left looked quiet and inviting, and one might possibly be abandoned.
A quarter of the way up the street, Timothy suddenly clenched Jake’s hand and gasped. “Jake, look.”
Jake’s senses came alive, and he knelt beside the child as his eyes darted around. “What is it, Timothy? Did you see something?”
“Over there,” the boy said in a voice that quivered in fear. His thin arm pointed to their right, where a yard of high, drooping grass waved in the wind between two of the houses. “I saw it.”
“Saw what?” Jake narrowed his eyes and tried to pick out anything that looked unnatural, finding there was nothing out of place other than the owner’s neglect of his yard. “Something in the grass?”
“Yeah,” Timothy said in a small voice.
“I don’t see anything,” Jake said. “Are you sure it wasn’t the wind?”
“I saw it move.”
“Was it a doggie?” Alice asked, coming over to put her hand on Timothy’s shoulder.
“Not a doggie,” Timothy said, lips quivering in the cold rain. “A monster.”
Even though he didn’t see anything, something about the way the grass waved sent a shudder up Jake’s spine. If the hairs on the back of his neck hadn’t been plastered to his skin, they would have risen. Subconsciously, Jake stood and reached back to put his hand on the grip of his gun. He exchanged a look with Marcy, who’d already pulled her gun out, although her arm was shaking from the weight of the weapon.
“What do you think?” she asked him.
“No idea,” Jake said. “But it doesn’t feel right. We should probably just keep on—”
“Psssst. Hey!”
At first Jake thought he was hearing things, but then Marcy’s eyes lifted to look at something behind him. Jake spun, staggered to the side on his weakened legs, and peered through the rainy haze.
“Over here!” A woman stood on the front porch of a red brick home in the center of the row, half-crouched beneath the covered porch with a shawl covering her shoulders. She appeared to be in her seventies or eighties, with a big sweep of gray hair combed back and curled pristinely around the curve of her jaw. She was waving to them to come over. “Come on, people. Let’s get you out of the rain.”
Jake looked at Marcy, who shrugged her tired shoulders.
“She looks harmless enough to me.” Marcy said.
“It could be a trap,” Jake muttered.
“I don’t think so,” Marcy said. “Unless X-Gang is recruiting grandmothers.”
“Good point.” Jake limped over to the sidewalk with his temporary family trailing behind him. He only glanced back once to the tall grass between the yards where it waved in the wind, no telltale signs of a monster or an X-Ganger.
Once they reached the porch, Jake stopped and gave the woman a weak wave. “Hi,” Jake said. “This is—”
“We’ll worry about introductions later,” the woman said, her warm brown eyes lighting on Alice and Timothy. “We need to get these little ones inside right away. We can introduce ourselves all day long after that.”
Jake shared another look with Marcy, who shrugged again with a pathetic, tired effort.
“Okay,” Jake said, ushering Timothy up the front porch steps. “We can’t thank you enough for taking us in.”
“Don’t get me wrong,” the woman said, taking Timothy’s head in her hands and giving him a smile before she turned a hard gaze upon Jake. “I don’t let just anyone in, but when I saw these little angels out there in the rain, and you protecting them, I knew in my heart I needed to do something.”
The woman stepped back and reached out her hand to Alice, who’d come up the steps and smiled at the grandmotherly woman.
“No need to be afraid,” she said, taking a child in each hand and leading them into her red brick home. “Lizzy’s got you now, kids. Lizzy’s got you.”
Chapter 21
Jake, Boston, Massachusetts | 1:45 p.m., Thursday
Jake, Marcy, and the kids were ushered into the house by the gray-haired woman as she lavished words of kindness upon Timothy and Alice.
“Come on in, my little angels,” the woman cooed. “Aw, look at you, all cold and wet. Well, we’re going to fix that up real soon. Get you into some dry clothes and put some hot soup in your bellies.”
Jake stepped into the entryway and stared at the old decor of the living room. Pictures hung on the walls along with a few Christian crosses, and antique lamps sat upon end tables covered with frilly lace tablecloths. There was an old sofa in the center of the room facing a fireplace and a coffee table with a Bible resting on it. The windows were covered tightly with dark cloths, and several candles bathed the living room with warm light.
The place smelled old and dusty with a clash of scented candles that assaulted Jake’s nose.
“Thank you so much for taking us in,” Marcy said, shrugging off her pack and letting it fall with a wet thud on the old hardwood.
“You’re so welcome,” the woman said, giving Marcy a beneficent smile as she took Timothy and Alice’s backpacks and set them on a throw rug behind the sofa.
“I’m Jake, and this is Marcy, Timothy, and Alice,” Jake said, gesturing as he introduced them.
“So glad to meet you,” the woman said, clasping her hands together in delight. Her eyes held a gleam of excitement as she took them all in. “My name is Elizabeth May. Some called me Liz back in the day, but most just call me Lizzy now. My friends do, anyhow.”
“It’s hard to find friends these days,” Jake said, genuinely grateful. He took his pack off and set it down on another throw rug, of which there seemed many. “Tell me about it,” Lizzy said, gathering the children’s jackets and carrying them through a side door to where Jake presumed must be the bathroom. “Now you get all your wet things and bring them in here. We’ll hang them in the tub.”
Jake and Marcy gathered their backpacks and followed Lizzy over to the bathroom. The woman reached out for their belongings and Jake handed them in one at a time until they were all standing there in wet jeans, T-shirts, and socks.
Lizzy finished putting things in the tub and then pushed passed them into the living room, turning to size them up each in turn. “Now we need to get you into some warm, dry clothes. I’ve got seven grandkids between the ages of five and seventeen, and they all stay here at one time or another.” She looked Marcy up and down before she waved her hand. “My oldest granddaughter is a big girl. I know you can find something of hers to wear. And the kids can take their pick of any of the others. Now for you,” she stepped back and scrutinized Jake. “I know you’d fit into something of Lou’s. Let’s go upstairs and have a look.”
“There are people chasing us,” Jake said, feeling that it was important Lizzy understand their situation before she committed to letting them stay. “I can’t guarantee your safety if you let us stay.”
“Have you seen it out there?” Lizzy asked, pointedly. “Ain’t nothing safe anymore. I’m just an old woman living in the middle of a storm. Doing all right if I don’t say so myself.”
“That’s true,” Jake found the energy to chuckle. “We certainly appreciate it. We’ve been running all day.”
“Well, rest easy.” Lizzy patted Jake on the chest and then shuffled off toward the stairs. “You folks follow me and we’ll get you into some dry clothes.”
“We should set a watch,” Jake said. “The people who are chasing us are called X-Gang, and they’re not too friendly.”
“Set up your watch, if you want,” Lizzy said, waving absently. “But rest assured I’ve got a big surprise for anyone who wants to get inside my house. I’ve lived here fifty-two years, and nobody’s going to step foot inside this place unless I want them to.”
Marcy gave Ja
ke a questioning look, and he nodded. “Go on, get yourself dried off and into some dry clothes. But make sure you keep your traveling clothes handy. We need to be ready to run. Oh, and we need to look at your leg, too.”
“Yes, sir,” Marcy said in a mockingly militaristic tone topped off with a brief salute. Then she grinned and shot him a wink as she followed Lizzy and the kids upstairs.
Jake sighed and looked around the first floor of the place, checking all the windows by removing some of the taped cloth and peeking out into the streets. They were clear of X-Gangers and imaginary monsters, although Jake found himself lingering by one of the front windows where he could peer across the street to the tall grass. It was hazy, and the window quickly became fogged up, so Jake re-secured the tape and went to the kitchen to check the backyard.
An old play set had blown across the yard and leaned against a tall wooden fence, and there were bare spots all over, giving an indication that the yard was well-played-in. Jake repeated his rounds of the windows two more times before Marcy came downstairs in a pair of oversized pajama shorts and a T-shirt. Her dark hair hung loose to her shoulders, and she leaned her head to the side to dry it with a big fluffy towel.
“Going to be hard to run in pajama shorts.” Jake gave Marcy a disappointed frown. “And where are the kids?”
“If it makes you feel any better,” Marcy said, looking at him through pristinely clean glasses. “I picked out some travel clothes and set them aside. We can be ready to go in a couple of minutes. Right now the kids are asleep.”
“We should all stay in the same room.” Jake didn’t want them to get too comfortable. “We need to be ready to bolt at a moment’s notice.”
“Jake, please,” Marcy said, coming up to him with an imploring expression. “Those kids have been through hell. You’ve gotta let them rest. They won’t be able to do anything if they’re exhausted. Poor little Timothy has blisters on his big toe.”
Jake put his hands on his hips and sighed.
“Look, I know you’re just trying to protect us,” Marcy said, putting her hand flat against his chest. “And I’m more grateful than you know. We got lucky finding Lizzy. Let’s take advantage of her hospitality while we can.”
Jake pursed his lips and reluctantly nodded.
“Good. Now get upstairs and see Miss Lizzy,” Marcy said, mimicking the old woman’s accent. “She’s got to get you properly fitted.” Marcy gave Jake a friendly pat on the cheek, limped over to the couch, and promptly collapsed onto it. “And get yourself some rest. You haven’t slept in twenty-four hours.”
Just hearing Marcy insinuate that he should sleep made Jake’s eyelids grow heavy. She was right. He hadn’t slept in a day, and his body was weak and sore all over.
“Okay, okay. I’ll go up.” Jake moved to the stairs and took hold of the old banister, the wood squealing under the slightest bit of weight. It looked like an original piece of the house, possibly even a hundred years old, but it was still sturdy enough to guide Jake up the narrow stairwell to the top, where he stood on a landing covered in a thick burgundy carpet that had seen better days.
“Lizzy?” Jake called out, stepping ahead and turning left down the hallway.
“Down here,” Lizzy replied, and Jake turned in the opposite direction and followed the sound of her voice.
The first door on his left was half open, and he peeked inside to see Timothy and Alice sleeping peacefully on a twin bed. The little girl lay on her back with a doll in one arm, her brother curled up in the other. A single small candle burned on a saucer on the nightstand, casting a golden glow across Alice’s cheek. Jake felt a familiar sadness well up in his chest, but he was too tired to cry.
“You coming, Jake?” Lizzy called again, so Jake backed out of the room and continued down the hall. The last doorway on the left was fully open, and Jake peeked in to see Lizzy remove a flannel shirt from a wide closet, shuffle over to the queen-sized bed, and place it carefully down on the thick comforter.
“There you are,” Lizzy said. “I’ve put out some clothes for you. Like I said, Lou was a big man, so these will be a little big on you. Still, they should do the trick.”
“Where’s Lou now?” Jake asked, going over to the bed and stripping his wet shirt off.
“Oh, Lou passed some time ago.” Lizzy picked up a fluffy green towel and handed it to Jake before she turned and shuffled over to the window, pulling a piece of the taped cloth away and looking outside. “Go ahead and get changed all the way. I’m not looking.”
“Sorry to hear about Lou,” Jake said as he stripped the rest of his clothes off, put his gun on the bed, dried off, and donned a pair of clean boxer briefs. The elastic around his waist was fine, but the end of the shorts came all the way to his knees. “Tall, was he?”
“My Lou was six feet six inches tall,” Lizzy said in a proud tone. “Played basketball in high school. Had a scholarship to Louisville, too, then he busted his knee up pretty good one day in the regional finals of his last high school game. An ACL tear, they called it. Those are pretty regular nowadays, but back then it pretty much ended your career.”
“Now I’m doubly sorry,” Jake said, slipping on a pair of overlong jeans and rolling up the cuffs.
“Don’t be sorry about Lou,” Lizzy said, still looking outside through the sliver of light she’d made. “He had a good life. Worked as an electrician for years. Became a granddaddy and retired early. We even did some traveling until we just couldn’t no more. Ever since he’s been gone, all I do is take care of my kids and grandkids as best I can.”
“Do they live around here?” Jake asked as he finished pulling on a thick pair of work socks, a white T-shirt, and flannel work shirt. “By the way, I’m dressed now.”
“They’re spread all over,” Lizzy said, turning around to inspect Jake’s new outfit. “Some of them moved to South Carolina. Some are in Kansas. All of them following where the jobs took them, you know. Hey, that doesn’t look bad on you, son.”
“We can’t thank you enough,” Jake said as he moved his arms around, enjoying the looseness of the large-fitting clothes. “We were so tired, especially the kids. We didn’t think we’d find a place to rest. Probably would have had to stay outside.”
“That’s why I invited you in.” Lizzy crossed her arms. “Those little angels you had reminded me of my own grandkids. I watched you comfort the boy, and Marcy holding little Alice’s hand. I could tell you were good the moment I laid eyes on you.”
“There are some bad people out there right now, doing a lot of bad things.”
“That’s all the more reason us good folks have to stick together, right?”
“I suppose so,” Jake said.
“Now, you lay down right there in that bed and get you some sleep.” Lizzy walked forward, giving Jake a gentle pat on the arm as she went by.
“I really should stay downstairs and keep watch,” Jake started to follow her, but the woman turned around and poked Jake in the chest with her finger.
“Marcy told me she has first watch, and she said you haven’t slept in a day. So, you just back your little backside up and get under the covers. I’ve got some throw blankets in that closet there if the comforter is too much.” She leaned forward, raising her eyebrow at Jake. “Okay?”
“Okay,” Jake said with a chuckle, and he backed up and sat down on the edge of the bed to show Lizzy he was serious.
“We’ll be right downstairs if you need us,” Lizzy said, pulling the door shut behind her.
Jake sighed, wanting to fight the woman more, but he let her leave without another protest. He collapsed backward, and the big bed embraced him in plush comfort. He moaned low as the relief on his back and legs settled in, and his muscles began to relax, sometimes twitching as the tension in his body began to melt away.
Maybe he’d rest for just an hour or two before he took up his responsibilities once more. Marcy, Alice, and Timothy needed him. Sara, Todd, and Zoe needed him, too. He had to stay strong for them
all.
Jake shut his eyes, promising himself not to sleep too long. He turned and got comfortable on the bed, and as soon as his head hit the soft pillow, he fell into a deep, blissful blackness.
Chapter 22
Sara, Gatlinburg, Tennessee | 10:23 p.m., Thursday
“Pan right and see how far it will go,” Dion said, leaning over Sara’s shoulder and watching the cameras in the split-screen view on her laptop monitor.
Using her mouse and the arrow buttons below each camera, Sara panned one camera to the right. The bridge stood out in the greenish night-vision light for a moment before it passed out of sight as she followed the creek as far as the camera would allow. Then she zoomed in, getting a pretty clear look across the creek.
“That’s as far as it will pan,” Sara said.
“Our alarm is just out of sight to the right, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” Sara nodded. “We really couldn’t have put it in a better spot.
They’d also placed another tin can alarm on the other side of the house along a narrow path through the woods behind the generator shed. Based on the footprints they’d found, the interloper had used this path the night before, and Sara figured they’d do the same if they came back.
“The only problem is that it will eat up some battery life,” Sara said. “But if we only run the cameras at night, it shouldn’t drain our energy too much. I think the extra security is worth it.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Dion affirmed. “The night-vision feature really makes a huge difference.”
“I have to admit that I feel safer already,” Natasha said from across the kitchen table. She seemed interested in learning how to survive out in the woods, and she didn’t nitpick over the details like the rest of them did.
“That’s it,” Sara said. “We can monitor the front of the house from right here in the kitchen and then do a quick foot patrol every thirty minutes or so. And if you don’t mind, Dion, I’d like to take the night shift tonight just in case our friend returns.”
Weathering The Storm (Book 2): Surge Page 13